November’s featured costume by Mike Schiffbauer is none other than a Predator – a series where horror and sci-fi collide in AWESOME.

The Predator is a huge obsession for me and has been in my top five dream costumes ever since the first film with Arnold came out in theaters. When I was first getting into costuming it was far beyond my skill level to achieve with any degree of success. several years back I was fortunate enough to meet Daniel Bravo who lived about an hour away from me who had sculpted and molded both the first film Predator (often refered to as a P1) and the second film Predator (P2) I traded some Star Wars costume parts with Dan and was allowed use of his molds to cast my own full latex Predator. Most people airbrush the suit, but my airbrush at the time was pretty cheap and couldn’t handle spraying the special mix of custom-made latex based paint needed for a rubber suit. So desperation drove me to do the entire suit by hand with sponges and Q tips. It took me almost an entire year to assemble and paint.

The suit is a combination of latex and foam filled parts with some resin cast pieces. It is incredibly hot once put on and breathing is next to impossible. Despite its uncomfortable feel I love the suit and have loved wearing it when I get the chance. My biggest and most beloved memory of wearing the suit came this past summer. I was cast in a short film by Stephen Reedy and got to wear the Predator in his parody Aliens vs Predator. This was a humorous commentary on the illegal immigration policies that were being proposed along the California borders. The short film caught the attention of a lot of folks and even ended up being shown in theaters in Texas before screenings of Machete. So thusly I got to be the Predator in the big silver screen which for me was a fanboy moment of epic proportions. ANother great moment was visiting my friend Dragon Dronet at his FX shop Renegade FX in Burbank where Sandy Collara filmed Dead End. Dragon allowed me to suit up and take pictures in the actual “Dead End” alley and he even brought out one of the few remaining Bat cowls worn by Clark Bartram for the film.

The artist in me still wants to try my hand at sculpting my own Predator now that my skills have gotten better and the processes involved are more familiar to me. Especially in light of the fact that a latex suit doesn’t last forever and my own is now showing signs of wear and tear.
Thank you so much for choosing me as costumer of the month!
Mike

Mike’s Pre – Machete Silver Screen Debut

If you know a horror costume that’s beyond horrific and deserves some scare time, send a submission including character name, costumer’s preferred moniker, a photo and contact information to the MurderHers.

About GoresTruly

Friday, August 13th, 2010 – serendipitously inspired by the day – five friends decided there just wasn’t enough fem-driven horror sites on the internet. So to amend that we formed GoresTruly.com, a web site dedicated to everything well - horror. Movies, conventions, costumes, literature, comics and more.